25 posts from July 2011

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

USA 1, France 0! Lauren Chaney on assist from Heather O'Reilly. Good start for the Americans. Just heard my 11-year-old soccer-playing daughter is watching the match at soccer camp with all her friends. Way cool! You go, Girls!

Update: French getting ALOT of shots against USA. 1-0 lead might not be enough. French had one go off the crossbar. Dangerous. Hope Solo getting a workout today.

Second half underway..still 1-0...not enough of a lead with French taking so many shots.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Apologies to all the baseball fans out there, but the most thrilling sports moment of the weekend -- BY FAR! -- was not Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit. It was the U.S. Women's World Cup team, down to 10 players on a questionable red card, rallying with a thrilling 121st-minute goal and then beating Brazil on penalty kicks to advance to the semifinal. Abby Wambach scored the tying goal to make it 2-2 (off a spectacular left-footed cross from Megan Rapinoe), Hope Solo was awesome, and then all five US players made their penalty kicks. THAT is sports drama!!

These women showed incredible guts and determination to keep fighting when everyone (including this writer) had figured there was no chance. So, the US advances to the semifinal against France -- a winnable game. And then, either Japan or Sweden in the final. Could we be seeing a repeat of the 1999 Women's World Cup, when the "Girls of Summer'' captivated the nation by the time the final rolled around? As the mother of an 11-year-old soccer-playing daughter, who rarely sees female sports heroes on TV, I sure hope so!

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

1. Have you seen Darlington Nagbe's spectacular goal for the Portland Timbers? If not, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR! He is a rookie out of Akron, born in Liberia, and this goal is SUPER!

2. Copa America is well under way..Brazil and Argentina were disappointing in their openers (Brazil tied Venezuela 0-0, Argentina tied Bolivia 1-1), but both have loaded rosters and surely will play better the next time out, right? Argentina plays Colombia Wednesday in what should be a fun match. Where have you been watching? What are some good local spots to watch Copa? Who do you think will win? Brazil? Argentina? Colombia? Someone else?

3. The average MLS attendance last week was 21,115. Impressive.

4. The 4-2 loss to Mexico was a bummer for the US national team in the Gold Cup final. One bright spot: Alejandro Bedoya, local midfielder out of Weston, plays pro in Sweden...his stock rose. Look for him to be a regular on the road to the 2014 World Cup.